Triggernometry: A Gallery of Gunfighters

I have bought several copies of this book since first reading it a few years ago ... a recommendation in itself.

I really enjoyed this book as it provided insight into some men who are long since forgotten with their stories buried by the likes of Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday and Wild Bill etc. Unlike another reviewer I saw nothing racist about this book. It's not the author's responsiblity to sympathize with anyone. He just related the facts as he believed them. This is my favorite old west book of all time. Ah the good old days!

Triggernometry is a classic that should be in the collection of every student and enthusiast of the Old West. Cunningham provides an revealing window into the life and attitudes of the times. If some of the attitudes expressed in the book seem shocking today, remember the difference 100+ years can make in a culture. This book belongs right between Elmer Keith's "Sixguns", and the Zane Grey collection. While it presents some information that has since been revised through the work of other historians, Cunningham does a marvelous job of presenting the human side of the gunmen of the Old West.

After reading several books on the Old West outlaws, I was curious to the content of their footnotes, and bibliographies, using this book. Which is the reason I bought and read it.This is a great western book. Copyrighted 1934.This not only has short histories on several gunfighters, but there is also a nice section on how to perform the flashy moves with the six-shooter. If you've tried these spins, twirls and shifts, you've no doubt found them difficult to perform. Yet John Wesley Hardin was a master at it, and it was Hardin, who taught Ringo the tricks. ( Hardin also told the guards, to get that psychopath--Ringo---out my cell. They shared the same cell in prison)I would consider this a mandatory book for a Old West gunfighters library. You have the primary sources for many of the other later books.

From the first page to the last, this book was one tough hombre to set down. My interest in this period of American History was greatly served. One should keep in mind that much of the stories of the legendary gunslingers [Both, the popular ones as well as the lesser knowns] are subject to interpretation as there was very little factual documentation of the characters themselves. This, in itself, leaves room for speculation as much of the information relied on "word of mouth" from various sources with varying opinions. I found it a more realistic accounting on the subject of gunfighters and less of the hollywood facade that many people accept. Really great reading for any true western buff.